Learning Skill: Positive Reading

Dec 10, 2010, 17:04 IST

Learning can be much easier if you know how to employ positive reading

Learning Skill: Positive Reading
Learning Skill: Positive Reading

Learning can be much easier if you know how to employ positive reading

What type of reader are you?

What type of reader are you? Do you go through an article, a novella, or a text book and cannot recollect anything about it? Or are you able to vividly recollect and describe what you have already read? Reading is an art that assists you to assimilate new information. It also helps you reinforce existing knowledge. Reading is also a favourite pastime among people who want to spend their time in a more productive way.

How is effective reading hampered?

However, many a times we are not able to retain the information we have gathered through reading. Also, we find it difficult to go through the vast range of reading material available to us. Why does this happen? This can happen because of several reasons such as an ineffective reading style, lack of attentiveness, stress, erratic reading pattern, and other distractions.

Enhancing the skill of reading

Effective reading helps you to manage and develop your reading skill. No matter what your reading prowess is, you can enhance your reading skill with some planning and effort.

The following are some points that will help you improve your reading skill:

1.  Reading objective:
    • Question yourself about the purpose behind your reading
    • Are you reading to gain new information?
    • Is it a leisure activity?
    • Are you recapitulating or revising previous information?
    • Examine the preface or the introduction of the reading material
    • Determine whether you really want to go through the said material or not

2. Planned reading:
   • Prepare a reading plan according to your requirement
   • A list of articles, chapters, and books that you want to read
   • The time frame you assign for reading the said reading material
   • The time of the day you find is best for reading
   • The average number of daily hours you can dedicate for reading
   • Factor in buffer time to compensate for any time slippages
   • Revise and update this plan as you go on reading new material

3. Effective reading:
   • Note down new words, concepts, essential information, facts, and data that you come across while reading
   • Keep a dictionary and a thesaurus handy to look up new words
   • To unravel technical jargon refer to appropriate technical glossaries
   • For important documents highlight or underline important facts to emphasise them
   • When going through story books and novels visualise the plot as it unravels
   • Note down the names of main characters, events, and places of a difficult story book
   • Prepare a concept or relationship diagram to reinforce your understanding of important topics
   • Discuss important topics and concepts with peers and colleagues
   • Ideas and thoughts of acquaintances gives you a new dimension to your own understanding of different reading materials

4. Be attentive:
   • Read when you are fully alert so that you are aware of what you are reading
   • In case you are unable to grasp the gist of the passage you just read:
   • Do not read any further
   • Revisit the said passage
   • Understand the information being conveyed
   • Avoid all types of distractions when you are reading

5. Reading depth: 
   • Decide the intensity of reading according to your objective
   • Glide through the reading material if you do not wish to absorb too much information
   • Go through the chapter headings and summaries
   • Focus on key words, concepts, and ideas if you wish to gather a fair amount of information:
     o Focus on chapter headings and summaries in detail
     o Go through the chapter contents
     o Absorb important notions and concepts
   • Study the material in great detail if you wish to gather a lot of knowledge
   • Revise until you are thorough with the topics discussed
   • Dedicate the time to your reading material as per the required reading depth

6. Correct posture:
   • Correct posture enhances reading
   • All the above mentioned points fail if your reading posture is flawed
   • A bad reading posture often makes reading a tiring activity

Jagran Josh
Jagran Josh

Education Desk

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